Overwatch, Fortnite lead esports representation at BAFTA game awards

Overwatch and Fortnite are among six titles that have been nominated for the award of Best Evolving Game at the BAFTA 2019 games awards.

The British award ceremony is set to take place in London on April 4, when the winner of the category will be announced.

The title of Best Evolving Game is awarded by a panel of independent judges to games that have ongoing development past the initial release date. Typically, the games nominated have a heavy online component, as those are the titles that usually see the most ongoing development in order to keep fans playing.

This year, popular online titles Overwatch and Fortnite stand alongside fellow nominees Destiny 2: Forsaken, Elite Dangerous: Beyond, Sea of Thieves, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege.

Both Overwatch and Fortnite were previously nominated for Best Evolving game in 2018, with Overwatch taking home the award. That was the second consecutive year in which Overwatch received the award. If developer Blizzard can achieve a third win in a row, this will mean that the game has won the award every year since its initial release in 2017.

In total, 17 awards will be presented at the BAFTA 2019 game awards, though Overwatch has only been nominated for one category.

Fortnite has also been nominated for Mobile Game of the Year. Unlike the other awards, the EE Mobile-sponsored category is voted for by the public. The other mobile games in the category are Roblox, Clash Royale, Pokémon GO, Old School Runescape, and Brawl Stars.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, more commonly known as BAFTA, is a leading independent arts charity. In addition to its awards ceremonies, BAFTA has an international programme of learning events held throughout the United Kingdom, United States, and Asia. Though initially founded in 1947, the British Academy has been offering awards to video games for the past 17 years.